Today I illuminated the Post Office with an led.
I also finished constructing the cottage interiors. Apart from the bedrooms seen in this photo, I have also done the downstairs rooms, but they are difficult to photograph, you will just have to take my word for it.
Keith.
Yesterday evening I started the building of the interiors, this is inside the Post Office.
Today I have built, painted, glazed and attached the conservatory.
Keith.
This is what Hadarford Village should eventually look like. I thought it was about time to see if all the buildings I have purchased, and the Post Office and cottages I am in the process of building, will fit in the space I have set aside for the village, alongside the canal lock.
From left to right and rear to front, Hadarford House, The Boat Inn, empty hair salon, Post Office and cottages, large thatched cottage, small thatched cottage, lock side stores and lock keepers’ cottage, village hall and finally the vicarage.
This is pretty much how I had imagined it, and I am very pleased with the resultant layout of the buildings.
Keith.
Busy morning, adding the final doors, windows, door canopies, post-box and Post Office sign.
Close-up detail of the Post Office frontage.
The rear of the terrace.
Keith.
Today I have fitted 2 of the doors and all the windows to the front of the terrace. I am waiting for the paint on the other 2 doors to dry overnight.
I was not going to bother fitting lintels and window sills to the rear of the model as it will not be seen, but today I changed my mind and fitted and primered them. I also white primered the internal walls, which is how they will remain.
Keith.
Painting the stonework walls is now finished. Sunday I finished painting the stonework with 2 shades of grey. I also painted the lintels and window sills.
Today was spent going over the paintwork touching up the edged of stones which I had not quite got right the over the weekend. Having completed the base colours I then dry-brushed with black paint to give the stonework surface depth. I also primered the windows, doors and some other details ready for gloss painting tomorrow.
Keith.
First steps in painting the walls. Each individual stone is painted separately. Those that I have missed I will paint a different shade of grey.
Keith.
This is one of the 2 chimneys at either ends of the terrace that I built yesterday. because I was able to cut them from the same sheet of walling, I was able to continue the mortar lines around the corners, and with a little work with a Stanley knife and some emery paper, the desired effect is not too bad. Fortunately the joint of unmatched stonework,which is unavoidable, is at the rear of both chimneys, so not noticeable.
Today I have cut and fixed the window sills and lintels to the window apertures. I have not added lintels to the tops of the door apertures as I will be adding the provided canopies over the doors so the lintels would not be visible anyway.
Close-up view of some of the window sills and lintels. I have decided not to add such detail to the rear of these buildings as they will not be seen. The wall joint visible in this photo where the 2 wall sheets have been joined will be hidden behind a guttering downpipe, but I won’t add that until after I have painted the stonework, which is the next step over the weekend.
Keith.
Whilst building the combined Post Office and cottages, I have also built and painted a pillbox and chicken coop.
Keith.
The final section of wall attend to the terrace.
In cutting out the door and window apertures, I have gone through 5 Stanley knife blades, at both ends of each blade.
Keith
The last section of wall being glued into place using the magnetic clamps which work really well in keeping the joint in place and square.
Keith
These 2 photos show the edges of the apertures of 2 of the windows. This close-up detail is to illustrate how the window and door apertures have to have the smooth edges, after cutting out, cut-in around the stonework to match the mortar work.
Keith.
I have made a start on assembling 2 building kits which I am going to join together to make a terrace of a Post Office and 2 cottages. In the photo below the bottom section of wall is as it comes in the kit. Each wall section has to be cut to size and marked out as in the section of wall in the middle of the photo. Then the door and window apertures have to be cut out. The small piece of wall on the right is an end wall. These 3 pieces will form the 2 cottages.
In the picture below is the 3 wall sections for the Post Office assembled, which will be joined to the cottages to form the terrace.
These are definitely the hardest kits I have ever made. I was contemplating not making them, but I have been unable to find rebuilt models to use in place of them. I have actually found them easier to build that I originally thought.
Keith.
Both the lock keepers cottage and garage that I purchased on eBay arrived this morning.
With the previously purchased canal side stores this now completes the actual buildings at the bottom lock of the Hatton Flight of locks on the Grand Union Canal just north of Warwick and our home mooring in the Saltisford Arm.
This garage will find a home alongside one of the buildings on the layout.
Keith.
